


fool you once, twice, thrice—

by turnip (calculus)



Series: and a wide realm of wild reality [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ethics, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, Potions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 12:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14497125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calculus/pseuds/turnip
Summary: Officially, love potions are banned from production. That doesn't stop people from looking, though.





	fool you once, twice, thrice—

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sysupportgroup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sysupportgroup/gifts).



> y do i keep writing things 4 peabrain

Jisoo's in the backroom brewing their backlog of orders, when the door chimes ring and a customer walks in. Mingyu spares a quick look to the back, but greets the patron readily with a friendly smile.

"Welcome to Hong-ssi's Apothecary. How can we be of service?" he says by rote, patting down the store apron of any lingering herbs. The man nods tightly at him, body language entirely uncomfortable and withheld, and Mingyu bites back an immediate frown.

"I'm looking for a custom brew," the man says shortly, eyes darting around the shop with noted agitation. Mingyu watches him for a beat, and then nods. It's not uncommon for customers to come in with requests for unlisted mixes. Just yesterday, a girl had come in with the request for double study-aid and sleeping potion, doused with a tediously high concentration of mandrake root to for wakefulness. Exam season always gets them a spike in business.

"What kind of brew do you need, sir?" Mingyu asks genially. The man chews on his lips, face already guilty, and Mingyu feels his stomach clench. Oh. One of _those_ clients.

"I need a love potion," the man spits out, as if the faster he says it, the better the chances will be that it'll be granted.

He couldn't be more wrong. "Sir, we don't condone the production of illegal mixes, especially potions that fiddle in dark magic. Perhaps you would like to—"

"No, please, I'm desperate, I need this," the man interrupts, slamming his hands down on the counter separating them, expression half manic. Mingyu recoils, frowning freely now, hand reaching underneath for the connector charm hanging by the hooks of the store bags. "She _has_ to fall in love with me, you don't understand!"

"Sir, I understand you may feel like this is a last option situation, but taking away a person's consent is forbidden. And for good reason," Mingyu says, voice steady. The charm warms under his palm, Jisoo letting him know that he's seen the distress call, and he feels himself relax inside a little.

The man scowls at him, grabbing at his hair, and Mingyu has never been more glad for the counter in between them. "No, she loves me, I know she does, she just needs the push, okay, she just needs a little help—"

"And when she wakes up? When the spell ends—and it _will_ —will she still love you, knowing that you'd forced her into something she never asked for?" Jisoo interjects, calmly entering the storefront, cutting the man's rant off. His usual soft features are sharp now, eyes piercing as they stare down the sputtering customer.

"S-she will! She just has to realize—"

"And if she doesn't? We can bend a person's will for you, yes, but there's always a price. Are you willing to accept the backlash for this when it goes wrong?"

Mingyu stays quiet, watching as the man struggles for a response. He's worked at this shop for only a year, but Mingyu has seen the same people again and again come through these doors, asking for something they don't understand. It's taken even him a while to learn that lesson, but learn it he did. Under his apron, he curls his fingers into fists.

You can't force anyone into doing something. The very basis of magic is influence, and there's a reason for the split faction between it and dark magic, but the crux remains: _nothing lasts_. Eventually, no matter how much magic you use, or whatever powers you try to circumvent an inevitable, it will always end, and the backlash of that kind of magic requires a price that nobody is ever ready to pay.

The man fumbles before them, and Jisoo only gives him cool regard before procuring a card from his sleeves. He flips it over, indicating for the man to take it, and Mingyu chews his lips with unease. "If you are truly ready to pay the price, then I cannot deter you. My shop does not practice dark magic, but I can give you someone who can give you what you want."

Ecstatic, the customer reaches out for the card, eyes trained on the slip of paper, but Jisoo stops him in his tracks with a single look. "But, you must be ready for the consequences." He smiles, but there is nothing kind about it. "Coercion is, after all, illegal for a reason."

 

Mingyu speaks up only when the man is gone from their shop, expression stolid and flat. "You know, I really hate when you do that."

Jisoo sighs, letting out a weak laugh as he perches himself on the back shelves of the register. He opens his arms, legs spread, and Mingyu walks easily into them, curling his own arms around Jisoo's waist in a comforting embrace.

"Gotta give Jeonghannie business somehow, right?" Jisoo jokes lightly, nosing the curve of Mingyu's neck and shoulder. Mingyu's hands tighten in their grip; he ignores the burn of the scars slicing through the tops of his hands—it's all in his mind, after all.

"I wish people wouldn't...." Mingyu chews on his words for a few heartbeats, looking for the right words to say. "I wish they wouldn't take the easy way out."

There's a huff of warm breath against his skin, and Mingyu shivers, pulling his arms tighter around Jisoo. "I know, Gyu-yah, I know."

 

Later, when the news come out, reporting of a horrifically gruesome massacre of a man by his newly-wedded wife, and the eyewitness accounts of screams for mercy and terror, Mingyu will rub his hands, feeling the familiar ache, and go to Jisoo for company. They will sit together and hold each other for comfort, and Jisoo will run his fingers through Mingyu's hair as he sings them aimless lullabies. The ache will stay, but Mingyu will bear it, like he's always done, and life will go on for them.

And, another customer will come to their shop, looking for a lesson to learn.

**Author's Note:**

> \- vague referencing of torturing; magic always has its consequences, and mingyu is no different.  
> \- written originally [here](https://curiouscat.me/calculus/post/360101636) and [here](https://curiouscat.me/calculus/post/442381537) on cc  
> \- i just rly wanted 2 have a discussion on the ethics of slipping someone a love potion and address the consequences of that ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ i didn't go in2 detail abt it, ur welcome, but i have Strong Opinions ok


End file.
